Grain separator and cleaner



Nov. 18, 1924. Y 11,515,776

H. KRUSSOW GRAIN SEPARATOR AND CLEANER Filed May 24. 1921 5 Sheets-$heet1 WIFNESSES INVENIOR 1f. 7311s saw,

ATTORNEYS Nov. 18, 192 4. 1,515,7'76

H. KRUSSOW GRAIN SEPARATOR AND CLEANER Filed May 24 192].

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 l/VVE/I/TOH I h". lfrussow Flaw/ 6 ATTORNEYS NOV. 1 9

H. KRUSSOW GR AIN SEPARATOR AND CLEANER Filed May 24, .1921 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Nev. 18, 192 5;

HENRY KBUSSOW, OF ELLS'WORTH, MINNESOTA.

Application filed. May 24,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY Knossow, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of township of Ellsworth, in the county of Meeker and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in GrainSeparators and Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in grain separators and hasreference more particularly to gravity separators of the spiral type,and has for its main object to provide a separator for removing cockle,wild mustard and all other spherical shaped seeds from, wheat, rye, oatsand speltz.

With this and other objects in view my invention consists in certainnovel features of construction and arrangement of parts as will behereinafter fully described and pointediout in the claim, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, and inwhichfl Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device,

Figure 2 is a rear elevation, Figure 3 is a side elevation,

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the hopper,

Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail section showing garner pan and pyramidcap,

Figure 7 is a horizontal section showing in plan the outer face of thehopper bottom,

Figure 8 is a rear view of one of the disc valves for regulating feed,

Figure 9 is a slightly modified form of same. i

In the drawings I have illustrated a practical embodiment by which myinvention may be carried into effect, and which I will now proceed todescribe in detail.

The device includes a frame construction comprising square planed woodenposts of suitable dimensions set vertically a suitable distance apart.The frame further includes two front posts B which are connected neartheir lower ends by the braceC.

The upper portions of the front posts B are connected by the crossbraces D secured at their ends to the posts and to each other at theirintersection by a suitable bolt or rivet d. y

The rear of the frame is constructed the same as the front part andconsists of the two spaced apart posts B secured together near theirlower ends by the braces C and at their upper portions by the crossbraces GRAIN snrnnaron AND CLEANER. ii-Z ,1. 1

1921. Seria1N0.472,314. i

D all of which are fastened to the rear of frame in relatively the sameposition as the front.

The sides of the frame are secured together by bars of wood E which aremortised into the front and rear legs or posts. being preferably heldrigid in that relation by bolts passing through the legs or posts andbars and held by nuts or other suitable fastenings.

A horizontal open frame is secured within the front and rear posts neartheir upper ends and comprises front and rear beams or timbers F whichextend laterally beyond the said posts to which they are suitablysecured, and the end beams or timbers G suitably secured to the saidfront and rear beams, these end beams bracing the upper horizontalframe.

The device further consists of two galvanized iron pipes of suitablelength and charm eter set at each side of the previously describedframework, these pipes being desig nated by the reference characters Hand set at their lower ends on the side bars near the lower end of theframe.

To this pipe or shaft are soldered four spirals I, J, K and L which areidentical and made of suitable gage galvanized iron. The upper end ofeach of these spirals is fastened by soldering to the shafts Hcommencing about one inch from the top of said shaft with the small endof the spiral. The fastening of these spirals one inch from the top ofthe shaft is made in pairs directly opposite each other, that is the toppoint of contact of I and K and are directly opposite each. other andthe upper ends of contact of the several spirals are one inch from thetop of post or shaft H wrapped around said posts.

The spirals terminate directly over each other the desired distance fromthe bottom of the posts or shafts H depending of course on thedimensions selected for the length and size of same.

An outer spiral M is made which is materially larger than the nestedspirals just described, being made from a suitable blank. The inside ofthis latter or outer spiral, as it will be termed, is soldered tothe'posts or shafts H at a point about eleven inches from the topthereof on the opposite side of the point of contact of the second ofthe inner spirals on one post H, but lower down on the opposite post IIThis outer spiral will thus be soldered, in position on the post lastmentioned at a distance of about one inch below the outermost of theinner set or nested spirals, clear down the line and terminating at therear in the spouts P, P.

To the outer edge of the outer spiral M is soldered a vertical flange Mthroughout its entire extent, the flange M standing verticallythroughout its length, to keep the material therein from being thrownout of the separator by centrifugal force.

WVithin the top of the posts or shafts H a short section of pipe ortubing N is placed, fitting snugly therein but which may be moved up ordown about one inch or more.

On the top of this slidable pipe section is placed a pyramid shaped capO which is soldered thereto. This cap 0 is made from a suitable blankcut and fashioned into shape and then soldered to adjustable pipesection N as above set forth, and hence may be adjusted up and down withsaid section as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 6.

Q is a garner shape galvanized iron cone of suitable diameter at the topand having a circular flange 9 about one inch wide which issolderedaround the top edge thereof, and this cone has a suitably sized openingat the bottom. The top of this cone is secured at its upper end to thetop frame by small brackets made of galvanized iron, the brackets beingriveted to the cone Q.

The hopper R is divided into two compartments by placing the inclinedwall sections R as-shown thus-virtually making two separate hoppers eachof which tapers downwardly toward the center and has a circular openingS through the bottom of the hopper.

The lower face or outside of the bottom of thehopper is of course flat,and has pivotally secured thereto beneath the outlets S, above referredto, a circular disk T having four (or other desired number) openings 25.Beneath these openings and around the outside of their circumferencewill be soldered to the disk orcircular plate T the four cone-shapedexits or throats t, 6 t and t the diameters of which correspond with thediameters of the openings 6.

This disk is pivotally secured to the, bottom of the twin hoppers by arivet 23 pass ing through the bot-tom of the hopper about two and.one-half inches from the center of the openings in the bottom of thehopper and also about two and one-half inches from the center of theholes made in the disk or circular plate T, the plate being furthermovably held in place against the bottom of the hopper by twodiametrically opposite flanges U soldered to the outside of the bottomof the hopper, thereby holding the disk snugly in position. up againstthe bottom of the hopper. The disk may be turned at will by theoperator. so as to permit the openings of the cones, one at a time, toreceive the proper flow of the grain from the hopper and their openingsat the bottom sides thereof which are respectively 12/16, 13/16, 14/16and 15/16 inches in diameter and these cones are about two inches highwith their upper diameter about two and one-half inches.

It will thus be seen that by this arrangement regulation of the flow ofthe grain may be readily secured.

It will be noted that the outside bottom circumference of the pyramidcap of each part of the circumference thereof, is about one inch higherthan the bottom circuur ference of the garner Q when placed in positionfor operation.

The operation of the device is as follows:

The material to be separated is delivered. into the hoppers and fallinginto the garner is discharged upon the pyramid cap and then evenlydistributed to the spirals. The smaller particles which are oblong ornonspherical shape, enter the channels formed by the spirals and passrapidly downward and are discharged from the chutes or exits at thelower ends of the same. In the downward travel of the material thelarger particles will be carried by centrifugal force over the edge ofthe inner spiral channels into the next spiral channel the diameter ofwhich is greater for that purpose, and so on. Those particles which arerounded and are too large for the outermost of the nested series, arecaught and carried by the outside spiral trough which has the verticalflange and discharged by way of the spout or gutter at the lower end,the said flange preventing the particles from being thrown over thesides by centrifugal force.

It should be particularly noted that the grain delivered to the spiralsmust pass through the lower end of the conical member Q. The member Q,as is apparent is adapted to further insure that the grain will bedeposited in the upper ends of the spirals.

The apparatus is especially adapted for the sorting or separation ofgrain which is of oblong or ellipsoidal shape, from rounded objects,such as peas, or beans, since in the discharge of the mixed grain andforeign substances the internal spiral channels will catch and hold theoblong or ellipsoidal grains, while by centrifugal force the roundedgrains, such as peas and the like, will roll over the internal spiralchannels and enter the outer spiral trough.

The apparatus may be used successfully for the purpose of removingcockl'e, wild peas, wild mustard and all other spherical shaped seedsfrom wheat, rye, oats and speltz by pouring the grain infested with thespherical foul seed aforesaid, into the hopper proper, adjusting the,perforated disks having the conical exits, on the bottom thereof,thereby permitting the grain or grains to pass through the mill by theforce of gravity until the clean, grain Without motive power finds itsWay into the clean grain spouts at the front of the device and thespherical noxious foul seed of every kind Will also thereby be separatedand find their Way into the foul seed spout at the rear of the device.

The device as a Whole may be set up on the floor, of a granary, or itmay be attached to and suspended from the ceiling of a granary, mill orelevator immediately un- 7 der an opening in the floor thereof and theresecurely fastened in place in a level position and be utilized to cleangrain day and night Without any mechanical power applied thereto.

The capacity of the device may be increased indefinitely by increasingthe number of the spirals and by placing Within each spiral section oneor two extra spirals of the same material, shape and dimensions, andother working parts indefinitely, Without changing the principle of thedevice.

The parts of the right section of the device are placed in position onright shaft H by Wrapping the spirals around the same to the left, andon the left side by Wrapping the spirals around the left shaft H to theright.

Having thus fully described my invention and set forth the preferredembodiment by which it may be carried into effect, Whatli claim is:

In a separator of the character described, a plurality of spiralsvertically arranged. and terminating at their upper ends in equal spacedrelation from a common point, a seed hopper disposed above said spiralsand having an outlet in the bottom thereof, a vertically adjustable capinterposed between said hopper and the spirals, and a hopper about saidcap.

HENRY KRUSSOW.

